Regular Meeting Cancelled – Joint Meeting Monday, October 16^th

The third face-to-face meeting between Tammy Duckworth and Peter Roskam will take place on Thursday, October 12^th at 7:30 PM at College of DuPage. The hour long forum will be held in the foyer of SRC 2800 on the C.O.D. campus (Fawell and Lambert) in Glen Ellyn.  

Due to the conflict with our October meeting date, Club officers have decided to cancel our regular meeting. Instead, we urge all club members and local Democrats to attend the forum at College of DuPage.

The stark differences between the candidates became evident in their first encounter, which took place on the WBBM Radio Show At Issue aired on Sunday, September 24^th. During the thirty minute long broadcast, the candidates responded to questions on such issues as the Iraq War, Immigration, Stem Cell Research, and reform of the Congressional budget process.     

On the issue of stem cell research, Tammy Duckworth stated her support for federal funding for research. She pointed out that Roskam opposes embryonic stem cell research:  In May, 2004, Roskam opposed legislation that would have established a state policy that research using embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells would be permitted, subject to review by an institutional review board (SB 3589, Amendment 4, 5/12/2004).

Roskam also opposes privately funding embryonic stem cell research and voted against the Ronald Reagan Biomedical Research Act:  In November 2004, Roskam voted against “The Ronald Reagan Biomedical Research Act.” At the time, the Chicago Tribune described that bill as a largely symbolic measure supporting “privately-funded stem-cell research.” (SB 3589, Amendment 7, 11/18/2004; Tribune, 11/24/04).

The war in Iraq was another area where the differences between the candidates was quite clear. Tammy Duckworth spoke with great authority and clarity about the situation in Iraq. She spoke about her personal experience and how the Bush Administration’s priorities were misguided. She illustrated this by pointing out that tanker trucks delivering aviation fuel are not equipped with adequate armor while outside contractors are paid exorbitant amounts to feed troops steak and lobster. Duckworth reiterated her call for Congress to look into spending on the Iraq war and to learn the level of readiness of Iraqi troops to take over the policing and defense of their country. Duckworth stated that in order to bring our troops home, we need a much more aggressive plan than the Bush Administration has offered for training the Iraqi police and armed forces, and transferring to the Iraqis the responsibility for securing their own country.

In contrast, Roskam offered no ideas on how to deal with the situation in Iraq. When pressed by Duckworth, all Roskam could offer was empty clichés. He said that he thought the people in the district wanted U.S. forces to “finish well” and that he was opposed to a “cut and run” policy.

Special Joint Meeting Monday October 16^th

The Illinois Sixth Progressive Democrats in association with the DuPage Democratic Club will be hosting a screening of the documentary “Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers” starting at 7 PM on Monday, October 16th. The screening is free, though donations will be accepted to cover the cost of the A-V equipment rental.

The location for the joint meeting will be the auditorium of the Helen Plum Library, 110 W. Maple, Lombard, just south of the Lombard Metra stop (1/2 block west of Main Street).The Helen Plum Library does not sponsor nor endorse this event.

All DuPage Democratic Club meetings are open to the general public. We welcome and encourage attendance by individuals of all political views and affiliations.

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